Our New Buddy School in Kenya

﻿

This summer, our art teacher Madame Garnier and Upper Elementary teacher Mr. Preston spent time at the Sere Olipi Primary School in the Samburu District 200 miles north of Nairobi. Their visit was coordinated through The Thorn Tree Project, which helps create bonds between U.S. schools and Kenyan schools. Mr. Preston first encountered this program where he last worked, at the Ethical Culture School, which also had a Kenyan buddy school. Both teachers have shared their photos and experiences with students and are integrating aspects of their trip into their lessons. We’ll have more to report on that in our upcoming Messenger Magazine. But we didn’t want to wait to share these beautiful images, most of which were photographed by Madame Garnier. This trip was made possible by the Robert Reveri Summer Grant, in support of faculty professional development, with funding gather during last spring’s Benefit. We hope to send more teachers to Sere Olipi Primary School next year, so we can deepen our connection with the school and better integrate our curriculum with stories about Kenya and how Sere Olipi students live and learn.